


Take Care, Hux

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: (but not until the end:)), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - High School, Cameos, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Milk Tea, Piano, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 15:46:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6572170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternatively: Five times Ben Solo almost saw the redhead coffee snob romantically (ugh). And one time he really did.</p><p>Set in a Modern AU where Hux makes posh coffee and Ben works for his milk-tea-crazed relatives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Care, Hux

* * *

  

 I. Yoda’s House is Beating the First Order.

_Ben is abandoned, Han sighs a lot, and Hux carries trash._

 

* * *

 

“Mom,” Ben says. “Mom. Mom. Mom -”

“Shut up,” Leia replies. She's fuming, smoke practically funneling out her ears.

“Dad,” Ben insists. “Dad. Dad. Dad -”

“You brought this upon yourself,” Han sighs. He doesn't really want to send him away. Ben plans on exploiting this sentiment. “Ten detentions in one year? Really, Ben?”

They have had this conversation before and Ben is sick of it. He tries another angle.

“Dad, Luke is so _guh_. I can't stay around his freaky hippie Buddha sh- crap for so long. It's…freaky.”

“ _Uncle_ Luke,” Leia reminds sternly.

“Whatever. Still.”

“Just put up with his Jedi mumbo-jumbo,” Han sighs. He sighs a lot, nowadays.

Leia knocks her husband's side without lifting a finger from the steering wheel. “I thought you swore you believed in that ‘mumbo-jumbo’?”

Han’s mouth sets into an embarrassed frown. “Whatever.” He pulls out his (old, ugh) iPhone to text someone - probably Chewie, their weird foreign neighbor. He growls a lot and is freakishly strong. He hit Ben with a frisbee once; it nearly cut his side.

“Are we there yet?” Ben interrupts.

Leia wants to hit him, but they are, in fact, there. Leia parallel parks in front of Luke’s strange Asian-fusion (milk) tea shop.

Both of Ben’s parents grin up at the tea shop’s neon green sign. It is flickering and makes buzzing noises. The inside of the shop is not much better, Ben observes disdainfully. It looks both grimy and retro at the same time. Everything is either tannish or greenish. A portrait of Kermit the Frog hangs on a wall.

Leia and Han are still grinning up at the stupid sign. “Yoda's House,” it reads.

“Wow, the kid actually kept the name,” Han comments, face slackening into a grin. He exits the car slowly (ugh) and pops open Ben’s door. “Hey, kid. Time to go.”

“I don't want to,” Ben says, stubborn. He clutches his black backpack to his chest and doesn’t care if he looks like a stupid baby.

“You've got to,” Han sighs, grabbing Ben’s arm and hauling him kicking and screaming out of the silver van (lovingly named “The Millennium Falcon”).

A bearded old man pops his head out of the shop. “Leia? Han?”

Leia, who’d been unloading the car, drops everything to rush over and suffocate her twin in a bear hug. “Luke!”

Luke hastily untangles himself. He doesn't want to die today. His twin sister is small but fierce and also scary. “Ben, is that you?” he teases, a bit warily.

“No,” Ben deadpans, clutching his black backpack to his chest. Everything else that he's wearing is also black. Han and Leia aren't allowed to shop for him anymore, so this outfit is of his own doing. “I'm Rey.” (Rey is his cousin, Luke’s adopted daughter.)

“Heh,” Luke chuckles. “Smartass as always. You in highschool yet?”

Ben scowls. “I'm a junior like Rey.”

“Oh,” says Luke. He quickly takes up Ben’s luggage-bag and motions for the junior to follow him.

Ben looks back to his parents. They nod him forward, shooing him along with their encouraging eyes (ugh).

“It'll just be for three weeks,” Han promises. “Just so you can appreciate a quieter lifestyle.” He tries for a smile.

Ben ignores the attempt. Han feels rejected.

(“Ten detentions,” he mutters to himself.)

Then Leia and Han shove themselves into the Falcon and drive away from the creepy tea house and now Ben is stranded with his freaky uncle forever. Or, at least, for three weeks of summer.

“You're going to love the tea shop,” Luke assures his nephew, and ensures his nephew’s immediate loathing for the place. “We've got a coffeehouse across the street who’s somethin’ of a competitor, but no worries! Yoda’s House is beating the First Order.”

 _What the hell?_ Ben wonders, now both loathing and frightened.

“Oh, look, there's the new junior manager. He looks like your age, eh, Ben?”

Ben looks over and there he is, strutting down the street like he owns it - The Redhead. He’s wearing black clothes, too (ugh), except for a bright red apron emblazoned with “THE FIRST ORDER™”. His shoes are too shiny; his hair has too much gel in it; his sneer is bitter enough to make coffee sweet.

And he’s also carrying a large black trash bag. Ben is fairly sure it’s dripping coffee.

“Skywalker,” the redhead sniffs, dumping the large trash bag in the graffiti’d dumpster next to Yoda's House that, Ben realizes, the two drink-places must share. “Have a new _apprentice_ , do you?”

Ben notes that his name-tag says ‘Hux’. What a weirdo.

Then he looks straight at The Redhead’s face, and he realizes that he has a very nice face. It has lots of cheekbones (well, maybe just two) and sort of red sideburns but definitely sharp green eyes. (Ugh.) So he quickly looks away and pulls up his hood. He definitely isn't blushing.

“You will go away now, Hux,” Luke says wisely.

“Your mind tricks never work,” Hux laughs. It isn't a pleasant  laugh, but it sends a pleasant chill down Ben’s spine.

He hates the feeling. He's never been any good with feelings.

So Ben turns around, grabs his luggage-bag (it’s the black rolling kind) and marches into the friggin’ weird tea shop before he does something stupid. He throws the door open with enough force to rattle the windows. He can't stop his fists from clenching-unclenching; it’s disorienting. There’s something foreign broiling his stomach.

He kicks a chair. It hurts his toe.

Luke walks in a minute after to find his distraught nephew trapped in the middle of an empty room.

 

* * *

 

(“He’s a real charming one,” Hux half-lies to Luke when the devastated teen stalks away.)

 

* * *

 

II. That Blonde Over There?

_Phasma is introduced, Ben finds himself a new name, and Luke needs more Sharpies._

 

* * *

 

Ben is shown the ropes fairly quickly by his cousin Rey. She’s good at math (mostly the problem solving bits) and wants to be a engineer, which is annoying. And she keeps her hair in three buns, which is abnormal. And she smiles infrequently, which is kinda okay. Also, she has a British accent. That's the weirdest part. 

No one around here is in any way, shape, or form British.

(Alright, except Hux. But he doesn't count right now.)

“I’ll make the tea since you're not very competent,” Rey states frankly. “You can take orders and stick the drinks into the sealing machine. Maybe you can hand out straws, too.” 

Ben shrugs, which is his affirmative motion.

“Or you can try deep-frying, though I’m not sure how happy Finn’ll be about that,” Rey adds as an afterthought.

Ben shrugs, which is also his negative motion. He retreats to the back kitchen anyway to meet this ‘Finn’ character.

Finn, as it turns out, is annoying and rubs Ben the wrong way, like, immediately.

“Haven't got a uniform yet?” Finn remarks with cheer that sounds false (ugh) but is probably genuine (uuugh).

Ben got his uniform from Luke on the first day, but it is ugly and he was never one for uniforms in the first place. It’s basically a tan tunic; it’s so shapeless and sack-like. Luke claims it's traditional Jedi garb.

Ben scowls at Finn, brandishing a red straw menacingly. He plans on defending his dark fashion to the last breath.

His intimidation doesn't work.

“What's a fella like you doing ‘round here, anyhow? You're always so moody. Got someone back home you miss? Got a nice girlfriend?” At Ben’s glare, he hastily adds, “Uh, or boyfriend? Got a cute boyfriend?”

“Shut up,” Ben says, breaking his vow of silence. He really, really wants to punch something - preferably, Finn’s nose.

So he marches back to the front (deep-frying is gross, anyway) and punches random numbers into the bright green cash register.

And he misses his first customer ever. Which, actually, is surprisingly saddening.

“I'll take the original, medium-sized, with large pearls and grass jelly.”

Ben’s spine shoots up straight as he hastily types up the ordering, frantically button mashing. “Is that all?” he babbles, flushing a furious red at his incompetence.

Finn is laughing, he is sure of it. Rey, too.

He looks up, and before him is a tall and broad-shouldered woman with short blonde hair and the same uniform as The Redhead from yesterday.

“Yeah,” the lady says casually, glancing around with tasteful distaste. “Finn,” she acknowledges sourly when she spots the fry chef.

Ben interrupts a quickly angering Finn. “What name should I put it under?”

“Phasma.” It's short and quick and simple but it's not nearly as plain and common as ‘Ben’. Ben likes her name. He also likes her swagger and hatred for Finn, but that might be too peculiar to mention.

Phasma and Finn hold stony eye-contact ( _bitter exes?_ Ben wonders vaguely, _it’s a small town_ ) until the blonde receives her order.

“Thank you,” Phasma clips out. Then she walks out, her silver combat boots slamming into the dusty tile, and that's that.

Yoda’s House gets a few more customers throughout the day, but, well, it is a small town. After getting some weird old guy named Admiral Ackbar three bento boxes worth of sardines and rice, Ben gets his lunch break, but Rey and Finn and him have to work different shifts so that at least two people are there at a time. And...there are only three of them.

So he wanders across the empty street, munching on his sandwich, before he unexpectedly stops in front of the First Order.

Ben is a junior in highschool - ok, sophomore-going-on-junior because it’s summer break, BUT. He can drive, and that’s freakin’ cool. 

Ben stops in front of the small ‘carry-out’ car in front of the First Order, thoughtfully munching on the cucumber sandwich he’d made himself. The sun is hot and he's sweating buckets, so the cool sandwich lulls him into a brief and false sense of security.

“What’re you doing here?” comes a snobby voice, quickly messing up that security bit. This voice has a British lilt to it, but the snide male tone to it is definitely not Rey - The Redhead.

Ben doesn't want to be a car creeper. (Especially not in front of him.)

He needs a distraction.

“That blonde over there? What’s her name?”

Wonderful. Now he’s a lady creeper. He can see through the shop’s broad windows; Phasma is inside the coffeehouse cleaning up what looks to be a brewer.

The Redhead looks confused, hoisting the trash bag he’s carrying more comfortably on his thin shoulder. Glass tinkles and shatters.

Ben helpfully points at Phasma.

Hux stares at Ben.

Ben tries not to look at his pretty, pretty lips.

“Phasma,” Hux says slowly. He’s eyeing Ben strangely.

Ben continues to press. _He needs a distraction._ “But _why_? I've never heard that name before.”

Hux shrugs, looks away. “It's not her real name. It's some shit like Gwen or something; I don't care. She named herself after some fascist superhero.” He brushes his hands off on his red apron.

“Oh,” Ben decides. “How about yours?”

Hux frowns, displeased. “Hux is my last name, idiot.”

“Oh,” Ben says. He shoves the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and flushes even more deeply. “I have to go. Bye.”

“Bye,” Hux says. He’s wearing that strange look again, and it’s twisting knots in Ben’s stomach. “Careful, Ben,” he says slowly. He peers up at the sky, dragging his gaze from Ben’s confused countenance. “It's going to rain.”

Ben pauses in his steps and looks up himself. Sure enough, the clouds are rumbling grey.

 

* * *

 

(Hux notices Ben’s pretty, pretty blush. It's vivid and bold, staining his cheeks with life. _Take care, Hux_ , he thinks to himself.)

 

* * *

 

Ben wonders what it would be like to walk through the rain with Hux. Is he the prissy kind that needs an umbrella, or a bold character that insists the rain bow down to him instead? Would they hold hands to flaunt their lack of fear, or save their moments for private as something to share between themselves? Hux might brew him coffee. Ben could compliment his skilled coffee making or some shit like that, and Hux would be so pleased - would they kiss? What did Hux taste like?

Ben’s blood is pounding in his ears.

He. Needs. A. Distraction.

Hux doesn't say anything.

Ben pushes his way across the street, fighting an insane urge to turn back. He pushes his way through the tea shop door, too, and he pushes Rey aside (“You son of a -”) to push the pens out of the way, to push the papers aside.

He grabs a Sharpie, uncaps it, and scribbles out the “BEN S” Luke had messily scrawled on his name-tag.

“What’re you doing?” Finn asks, quizzical.

Ben retapes white over the Sharpie’d out name. “KYLO REN” he carefully prints in his own writing. He isn't sure where exactly the name had come from, but it fitted well. It looked much better than “Ben Solo”.

Finn is silent for once. He understands.

 

* * *

 

III. It’s Just a Cup, Kylo.

_Hux (finally) tries the milk tea, Kylo is eloquent, and everyone is stressed out._

 

* * *

 

It’s a sleepy day with little customers at Yoda’s House. Rey and Finn are fooling around with the straws (“I’ll stick one up your arse,” Rey threatens good naturedly) and Kylo is reading the news on his phone.

So, fairly typical. The First Order hasn't had much business either; Luke is, at least, happy for that. He went for a walk three hours ago. Rey figures he fell asleep in a tree; apparently he likes to have weird visions over there. 

He’s in the middle of reading about a viral watermelon videl when Kylo senses that something is very wrong. Something is amiss, not quite where it should be. Is the window open? No. Is the TV out of power? No. Are the tables dirty? No.

He glances up from his phone, and then he realizes:

Rey and Finn have stopped talking. The two are staring awestruck out the front window.

“Wow,” Rey whispers.

“Wow,” Finn whispers back. “Kylo, guess who the hell is coming over here.”

Kylo looks back at Rey, who says gravely, “Hux, himself.”

“What?” Kylo turns back around sharply and peers out the front window - and there The Redhead is, making his way across the black asphalt street. He doesn’t look happy. He looks furious.

Rey and Finn scurry to the back kitchen. Kylo must man the station on his own.

Not that he's afraid of Hux. Not at all. That's laughable. That skinny redhead, with light freckles and vibrantly green eyes and weird sideburns from the 1800s? And a pleasantly unpleasant laugh? And a thin body that only accentuates his height? And a well-chiseled steady gaze? And.

Shit.

The door tinkles open. Kermit the Frog laughs at Ben from his frame on the wall.

“I'm here to try the milk tea,” Hux practically spits out. He's choking on the words; Kylo can tell. “Make me whatever. I don't care.”

Kylo is mean; that’s not new. He rings up the most expensive tea they have - some fancy oolong with every topping available, and in the largest size.

He adds in fried squid for good measure.

“You total is $15.33, with tax,” Kylo informs Hux.

Hux swears. He pulls out his wallet and slams a $20 bill on the table, anyway.

Kylo tags the bill and hands him his change. “This is really your first time?”

“Yes.” Hux’s voice has not a hint of hesitation.

“Do you even know what boba is?”

Hux glances at his name-tag. “Shut up. Kylo.”

Rey screams at Finn in the background as he shouts what sounds like “IT’S ALIVE, OH GOD”.

Kylo and Hux don’t mind them.

“So, why -”

“If I hate it so much?” Hux barks out a half-laugh. “I lost a bet to Phasma.”

Kylo dons an expression of understanding. “And now you have to support your competition. That’s cruel,” he admires.

Hux pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling loudly. “It’s just a cup, Kylo.”

“I think it’s funny,” Kylo remarks. He takes the cup from a red and sweating Rey without even sparing her a glance. He sticks it in the sealing machine. Hux looks up to observe the thing with mild interest.

“You new name is funny, too, you know.” It’s said too lightly - Hux is curious.

Kylo grins a fox-like grin. Pulling the tea out of the sealing machine, he sticks a bright red straw through the top and smooths back the top of his hair (ugh, he sounds like such a _loser_ ). “I think it suits me.”

“You’re not funny,” Hux deadpans.

“Never said I was,” Kylo says breezily.

“Yes, you -” Hux takes a steadying, deep breath. “Whatever. Where’s the squid?”

Kylo is surprised, though he really shouldn’t be. “You noticed?”

“It’s my money,” Hux informs him.

“Oh,” Kylo says eloquently.

Finn slams a grease-stained bag on the front counter before scurrying away to probably yell at and with Rey.

“There it is,” Kylo says. He’s very helpful, see.

Hux stares at him.

Kylo stares back.

(Hux walks away and he doesn’t let Kylo see his smile.)

 

* * *

 

IV. Leia, Why Didn’t We Bring the Revolver?

_Kylo zones out, Luke is part of a conspiracy, and Han is too old for this._

 

* * *

 

Kylo likes to watch the boy across the street. He just doesn’t know why.

He knows he’s probably being a creepy stalker, but it’s not his fault. Rey and Finn refuse to interact with him for more than an hour a day, and that hour is spliced up in two minute intervals. They mostly spend their time in the kitchen giggling over something or another (ugh), and Kylo is left to man the front counter. He wonders what they had ever done without him.

So he spends his mornings waiting for precisely 9:15 AM, which is when The Redhead waters the potted trees in front of the First Order.

Then he waits for 11:00 AM, which is when he comes back out to set up the umbrellas over the iron tables outside the coffee shop. This is when it starts getting busy, and the usual customers like that bald lady with the freaky make-up ( _was her name Ventress?_ ) and the fat guy who resembles a slug (somehow) show up to get their order. 

And then the rest of the day is spent watching him hand drinks to everyone outside like a waiter, which Kylo belatedly realizes is actually his job, not just being the trash-taker-out-er.

This distracts Kylo from his usual customers, not that they’re complaining too much. They’re all old people who are way too nice. Ackbar the Fisherman Who is Also an Admiral always warns him about traps and how to use traps in fishing, which is strangely nice. Fett only comes here for the boba because apparently that’s his name, which Kylo highly doubts, since he claims to also have been a bounty hunter. Mon Mothma is not a moth, but she has a very long neck. She also tells him about her spy days.

This is a very weird town, and Kylo appreciates it almost as much as he appreciates The Redhead for making his days more interesting.

The Redhead looks like he’d like to sometimes toss drinks on people, Kylo notes with a smile.

They have a lot in common.

 

* * *

 

Luke is on the phone when Kylo realizes he needs to stage an intervention, or something. There have been conspiratorial whispers across the contraption for the past week or so - very concerning. 

But as it turns out, Luke gets to Kylo first.

“Ben - uh, Kylo,” Luke starts. “You've been in Tea Rehabilitation for a couple of weeks now, and your parents have decided they want to come to visit. You ok with that?”

Kylo carefully masks his grimace. No matter what he says, Leia and Han would make sure to visit him at least once over the summer. Which is funny, actually, seeing as they’re the ones who sent him away in the first place.

“Fine,” Kylo mutters. He stalks away. He's gotten better at stalking over the summer; even Finn has started to look nervous.

“They’re coming tomorrow!” Luke shouts at his retreating back.

And he's absolutely right. Kylo still isn't prepared, though. It’s mid afternoon and he’s wiping the front counter down with an old Kermit the Frog rag when the bell tinkles and his mother’s call fills the small room.

“Ben!” Leia exclaims, wrapping him in an over-the-counter hug before he can protest.

Han gently removes his beaming wife. “Hey, kid,” he greets his son maturely. “How's all the hard work treatin’ ya?”

“Swell,” Kylo mutters. He tosses the rag moodily to the side. Truth be told, he actually rather likes Yoda’s House. Rey and Finn aren't bad company, and The Redhead is an exciting enigma. Phasma drops by sometimes, too, to say hello and to mime killing Finn. He rather likes the strange lady.

But he'd never admit any of that, of course. He’d pulled Rey’s hair every single day last week (she’d given him a nasty right hook for that) and nearly reduced Finn to tears with a few choice words on Wednesday. And then, of course, he'd dumped salt in both of their drinks on Friday.

Digression aside.

Luke crawls out of his office just in time to save Kylo. “Hey, Leia! Hullo, Han!” he says cheerily. Han gives him a manly handshake.

But Leia is frowning. She doesn't move to hug Luke. Leia, Kylo realizes, is staring at his shirt.

Or, more specifically, at his name-tag. “Kylo Ren”.

Strange; he'd almost forgotten about the name change.

“Luke,” Leia says. “What's wrong with Ben’s name-tag?”

Luke strokes his beard uncomfortably. “He chose a new name here, Leia. I can't make him change it back.”

He hadn't even tried.

She looks worried; her face is pinched together. “That's how Anakin started, too,” Leia whispers.

Han looks frightened at this. “Your dad?” Han asks. “The rogue revolutionary?”

“The one who killed Mace Windu and the Boy Scout troop,” Luke confirms.

“Shit,” Han swears. “Leia, why didn't we bring the revolver?”

Leia is appalled. “We're not killing our son!”

“We trusted Luke with him!” Han practically shouts. “It’s Luke who should face the butt-end of -” He chokes on his last words, simultaneously looking like he wants to take a swing at something while also regretting whatever shit had just spilled out of his mouth.

Leia’s face went stony. “Ben, honey, you'll probably have to stay here for the summer,” she says softly, but her eyes are as hidden and hard as ever.

“So I don't turn out like Grandpa?” Kylo deadpans. He thinks it's ridiculous, really.

Han and Leia exchange a glance. “Something like that,” Han says not unkindly.

“Luke’ll be good for you,” Leia insists.

Luke looks doubtful.

“I’m not gonna be Grandpa just because I changed my name and wear black,” Kylo informs them both. Seriously. Ridiculous.

Han touches his cheek, what looks to be pity shining in his eyes. “Just another month,” he says somberly.

“You're both really lame,” Kylo says lamely.

“We love you, Ben,” Leia assures him, lips pursed into a tired frown.

Luke sighs. “Bye, Han; bye Leia,” he says pointedly.

They are shooed out of the small, dusty shop with little ceremony.

Rey and Finn peek their heads out of the kitchen. “Who were those?” Rey asks, curious. She is looking after Han with a strange expression on her face - something like déjà-vu.

“No one important,” Luke replies, watching Kylo’s retreating figure thoughtfully.

Finn and Rey exchange a look.

 

* * *

 

V. Do You? Play?

_Kylo throws a knife, Rey makes a promise, and Finn is in the know._

_Bonus: Hux plays piano._

 

* * *

 

“I like this,” Finn comments. “Just the three of us. It’s a whole lot weirder with Luke around. No offense,” he adds at the scathing look Rey throws him. 

She shrugs. “I guess you’re right. He’s my adoptive dad, but he’s so distant and out-there, like he’s stuck on an island all by himself.”

“That would suck,” Kylo decides to comment.

Rey’s eyes twinkle. “You’d be ok. All you’d need is a mirror - oh, wait the water can be your mirror.”

“What do you mean?” Kylo snaps hotly, slamming his compact mirror shut. “ _What_?” he insists more forcefully at the other two’s growing sniggers.

Soon, they’re both clutching their bellies with laughter as Kylo helplessly watches on.

“He’s...he’s on that thing, like, 24/7!” Finn chokes out between laughs.

Rey is literally slapping her knees. “His hair! Oh, God! He probably spends an hour on it each day!”

“Actually, it takes an hour and a half,” Kylo says, hurt.

They both pause to stare up at him. Maybe they had realized how they’d hurt him? Perhaps they were going to apologize? Kylo is starting to feel better.

And then Finn says:

“I don’t even brush my hair.”

They both burst into another bout of frantic laughter.

Outraged by their obvious lack of respect, Kylo tosses a knife (ok, the plastic kind) at Finn’s new brown bomber jacket hanging by the kitchen. Because he doesn’t want to accidentally kill someone and get sent to jail, duh. Not because he was stupid and had missed Finn’s friggin’ face (ugh).

“Hey, whoa, low-blow man,” Finn starts, sobering up immediately. He obviously has some kind of emotional attachment to the thing, Kylo realizes. “Don’t touch the jacket. You wanna fight? Let’s take it outside.” He raises his fists and actually looks angry. “Let’s fight, Kylo. Fight me.”

Kylo retreats to the bathroom in tactical retreat.

 

* * *

 

When Luke returns to the shop after his Yoda Run (his three mile jog while carrying a heavy backpack; it’s weird), he finds Kylo moodily braiding his hair on the toilet. 

It’s frightening enough to force Rey and Finn to apologize.

Rey promises not to ever “judge others based on their fashion sense”. She remembers her adoptive dad’s old teen photos and grins at that, which admittedly ruins the sincerity of the promise.

Luke sighs for the 500 billionth time and leaves to “meditate” in his freaky Jedi office.

“Sorry ‘bout earlier, man,” Finn apologizes to Kylo. “Didn’t meant to scare you like that.”

“Whatever, I wasn’t scared,” Kylo lies. He is accidentally touched by Finn’s sincerity. “I don’t get such weak and foolish human emotions.”

“You’re so weird,” Rey informs her cousin. “What do you even do with your life?”

“I aspire to become my grandfather,” Kylo deadpans.

“That’s even weirder,” Finn says decidedly. “Isn’t he that crazy revolutionary serial killer who killed Mace Windu and the Boy Scout troop?”

“Yes,” Kylo says. “Also, I was joking. Ugh.”

Rey frowns slightly. “Then what do you really want to do?”

“I have no idea,” Kylo admits. “Mr. Snoke - my gym teacher - told me I should a fighter because of the way I’m built.” He fiddles with his hands that he’s always seen as too large. “But being an artist sounds cool?”

“Mr. Snoke sounds like a dick,” Finn says.

Rey looks like she wants to punch him, but collects herself just in time.

“You’re afraid,” Rey starts in a wise tone, “that it’s too late to learn an art.”

Finn nods. “Y’know, Hitler started off as an artist.”

Kylo looks even sadder at that and this time Rey has to punch Finn.

 

* * *

 

One swelling shoulder later (“Ow,” Finn interjects dejectedly), Kylo is being informed that Hux’s family actually owns a music store, and that maybe we could close shop tomorrow to go check it out. 

“It’s never too late to pick up an instrument,” Rey says brightly.

Kylo agrees to Rey’s request. Finn agrees less whole-heartedly.

 

* * *

 

True to her word, Rey gets permission from Luke to close the shop the next day. Rey and Kylo live with Luke above the shop, so they leave together in the morning to go find the musical instrument store. 

It turns that it’s not that hard to find.

Finn is waiting outside a bright red shop with the black letters hanging above it reading, “HUX’S PIANO PLACE™”.

“There’re only pianos,” Kylo tells Rey.

“Lucky you,” Rey says. “I know how to play a little.”

“Really? Why didn’t you say so?” Finn asks, surprised.

Rey shrugs. She looks up at the shop apprehensively. “I mean...not very well. But I can play a little.” She tugs both of them inside.

As she runs off in search of the manager (“I need to ask him something real quick”), Finn and Kylo are left to their own devices in an intimidatingly large piano store. Pianos are literally everywhere - the electronic kind, baby grands, actual grands, white ones, black ones, even _red_ ones - and the walls are lined with book after book of pieces.

“So,” Finn says, obviously uncomfortable.

“What’s the deal between you and Phasma?” Kylo asks.

“Wow,” Finn says, startled. “You’re very forward.”

Kylo shrugs.

“Uh, well, actually, she offered me a job before Luke did,” Finn admits. “I used to work for the First Order as their cook… But I didn’t really like her attitude or Hux’s attitude, nasty people that they are, so I quit.” He scratches his head. “Also, Rey informed me that Phasma had a crush on me in middle school. So, there’s that.”

“You’re not interested in her?” Kylo asks, his turn to be surprised. Phasma is a very strong and also attractive woman.

“I have a boyfriend,” Finn tells him, looking almost embarrassed. “He’s on vacation right now, in Guatemala.” He shrugs with his head, the only sign he gives that he’s nervous. “He’s the one who, uh, sent me the jacket you, uh, chucked a knife at.”

“Oh,” Kylo says. He doesn’t feel like apologizing yet (or ever, ugh).

“Anyway,” Finn continues. He gives Kylo a sly look. “What’s with you and Hux?”

And then Kylo remembers that they’re standing in Hux’s family’s store and that Hux could show up at any minute and he could judge Kylo so hard and also his hair might be better than Kylo’s but his eyes definitely are and what if Hux could play the piano, because that would be so hot -

“See,” Finn interrupts his train of thought. He’s grinning.

“Whatever,” Kylo hisses, banishing the unwanted thoughts that are making him weak in the knees. “This was a bad idea.”

He twirls around and prepares to stalk right out of the piano shop when he hears a familiar almost-British voice call out:

“Ren?”

And so of _course_ he has to stop because of _course_ it just _had_ to be _Hux._

“Hux,” he greets the redhead curtly. The other is still in his FIRST ORDER™ uniform, looking positively confused at Kylo’s presence.

“I didn’t know you played piano,” Hux says, walking closer to Kylo. He’s about halfway across the mostly empty store. Finn has mysteriously disappeared. Rey is off who knows where.

“I don’t,” Kylo says, his stomach flipping.

Hux glanced down at his hands. “You could be good at it, I should think.”

Kylo can't help himself. “Do you?” Kylo asks, now curious. “Play?”

They’re both still, observing one another with something akin to trepidation.

“Yeah,” Hux admits.

“Could you…” Kylo licks his lips subconsciously, hating how dry his mouth feels. His tongue is a burden. His stomach is in knots. His knees feel like they’re going to give way.

He doesn’t even know Hux, and this is what he gets.

“Could you…maybe…” Kylo tries again.

“Play for you?” Hux finishes.

Kylo nods.

Hux shakes his head. “Someday, maybe.”

 

* * *

 

(He can’t give himself away like that to a stranger. He’s only talked to Kylo three times. Four times, now. He won’t admit anything to himself, not even the fact that he actually wants to play for Kylo.)

 

* * *

 

And then he walks off, hands in his pockets, and Kylo is boiling with anger and loneliness and something indescribable that feels like heartache, maybe.

Finn and Rey return to the spot they’d last seen Kylo. They don’t find him there. They return to the shop and wait five hours for him to get back - by that time, it is dark out.

 

* * *

 

VI. Get To It Quicker, Next Time.

_Kylo messes up, Hux fixes it, and Phasma can tell._

 

* * *

 

Kylo realizes that Hux has had milk tea but that Kylo has never had coffee.

Well, coffee from the First Order, that is. He’s drunk coffee before to stay up late to try to finish a Euro essay.

On his lunch break, he walks into the small shop and starts to doubt himself when he’s confronted by Phasma at the cash register and a blackboard with lots of fancy sounding drinks scribbled across it.

“Hi,” he tries.

“Ren,” Phasma acknowledges. “What can I get for you?”

She’s scary polite.

“Uh…” Maybe he looks as lost as he feels, since Phasma takes pity on him and tells him that the usual favorite is something called the Starkiller.

“Is that some message for Starbucks?” Kylo asks.

“Maybe,” Phasma answers cryptically. She punches in the order and tells him the total.

He hands over the cash. She places it in the register and then heads off to the side to start on the drink.

Kylo stands there awkwardly. At least there’s only one other guy in the room to judge him beside Phasma. He has red hair and blue eyes and is eyeing Kylo with an unimpressed look. He has a “TR-8R” badge that confuses Kylo, so he looks away and tries to ignore the burning flush that has pinched his cheeks.

And then Hux walks in through the side door, dusting his hands off with mild disdain.

Kylo is now even more lost. Maybe he could just say "hi" and that would be it. That would be ok.

(Because he was  _definitely_ not planning on talking to Hux here. Of course not.)

“Hi,” Kylo says, clearing his throat after it comes out sounding bogged and weird.

Hux looks over at him, eyebrows raised. “Have you defected from Yoda’s House?”

“NO,” Kylo says louder than he’d wanted to. “I just. I wanted coffee.”

“Are you getting the Starkiller?” he asks.

“Yeah, Phasma recommended it,” Kylo replies.

“It’s our bestseller,” Hux tells him.

“I know.”

There's a pause as Hux steps closer. Kylo’s heart is pounding away in his chest.

“Why are you actually here?” Hux nearly murmurs, leaning against the front counter.

(Phasma and TR-8R neatly ignore the two.)

Kylo swallows, breaking out in a nervous sweat. “I wanted to see you, maybe,” he admits.

Hux nods. “That’s good.”

Kylo is hit by shock; it’s like a hammer has been swung to bop him in the head. “Really?”

“I wanted to see you too, maybe,” Hux informs him. “You’re intriguing.”

“Thanks. You are, too.”

They both stare at each other for a while, the coffee blender’s crunching and whirling fading to background noise.

“I like you, a lot,” Kylo whispers. It’s a relief to get off his chest. He feels lightheaded, but better.

“That’s good, too.”

And then Hux leans forward and up and Kylo tilts his head over and down -

\- and vertigo is slamming into him, his veins pounding away inside his brain, thudding against his heart and his soul -

\- and he knows he’s not supposed to want to feel these weak, human emotions but their lips crash together in an explosion of euphoria and a feeling of _finally_ -

\- and Hux pulls back first and he says, “That took too long to happen. Get to it quicker, next time.”

And Kylo Ren thinks:

1. I’m in love.

and

2\. I’m an idiot.

 

* * *

 

They end up drinking coffee together outside (Phasma handed him the Starkiller with an exaggerated and freaky wink) that first day while talking and not-subtly staring at each other’s mouths. They end up learning a lot about one another, and Hux promises that he’ll play piano for Kylo one day this summer. 

Kylo tells him that he lives in the city but that he’s never really been on this side before. He goes to a private school in Hosnian City.

“You can visit though, right?” Hux asks.

“Yeah. I can drive over.”

“Good.”

And they bicker and argue twice every hour, but it usually ends with one of them grabbing the other into a kiss, which is weird because they’re, like, sixteen, but Hux doesn’t care at all and Kylo finds that he doesn’t mind much either.

They’re sixteen and they basically run where they’re supposed to work. It isn’t the weirdest thing that’s happened to either of them, for sure.

 

* * *

 

“Are we boyfriends?” Kylo asks before he leaves, because he has to. He was supposed to be back at Yoda’s House an hour ago, and Hux was supposed to be working as well. “I’m not opposed -” 

Hux stops him before he can continue. “Wait until the third date, at least. I’m not that easy.”

“You kissed me before we’d even gone on a date.”

“Shut up,” says Hux, and he smirks.

Kylo laughs for the first time in a while.


End file.
